Younis' reaction to this debacle? [Merged]

[Usman Chadda]

Anyone saw or read anything from YK yet? He didn't look too pleased before this collapse happened. I would assume he would be absolutely in raging mood right now. The dressing room won't be a happy place to be at the moment, specially if your names are Malik, Misbah and Akmal

[hussein]

Originally Posted by Usman Chadda Anyone saw or read anything from YK yet? He didn't look too pleased before this collapse happened. I would assume he would be absolutely in raging mood right now. The dressing room won't be a happy place to be at the moment, specially if your names are Malik, Misbah and Akmal

he is saying,give the boys time, only missing 20%, we aint played tests in 18months blah bla

[D]

http://www.cricinfo.com/slvpak2009/c...ry/414430.html

here you go..

[Rudi hater]

Originally Posted by hussein he is saying,give the boys time, only missing 20%, we aint played tests in 18months blah bla

Same old crap. Excuses Excuses Excuses.

[Usman Chadda]

Why can't he just go cuckoo on some of these 'senior' players for once?!

[hasanb]

I agree with him, it is a good measured reaction from YK. I dont blame him for this and i especially appreaciate him saying that he wont walk away from this but instead stand up and fix it. I do hope however this fixing involves discarding two certain players who we have already mentioned extensively on PP.

Good reaction from YK though, stood up for the team...and is looking for a way forward, its brave of him to do that in the face of all this criticism from all corners.

[Zaz]

Same rubbish, hope he go out there and just lambast them for once cos they deserve it

I hope in dressing room he threw a fit

[pakcricketfan]

Originally Posted by D http://www.cricinfo.com/slvpak2009/c...ry/414430.html here you go..

Atleast he's not giving that"team is inexperienced" excuse.. He realises that it is not the youngsters BUT the seniors who have failed.He will give them a beating behind closed doors (hopefully).

[hasanb]

Originally Posted by Zaz Same rubbish, hope he go out there and just lambast them for once cos they deserve it I hope in dressing room he threw a fit

I am sure he did...if you saw his expressions on the field he was glaring daggers at certain players, he was rather pissed off. In front of the worlds media though he has to stand up for us, otherwise we'll be portrayed as even more of a shambles than we already are after 3 collapses.

Behind closed doors itll be a very different situation im sure of it.

[Usman Chadda]

Might I ask guys, why the leniency on Kamran Akmal? Yes he was terrific in the T20 World Cup, but since this series has started what has he done? Same old thing, getting caught on the crease, and getting leg before. Or when he is not busy getting LBW, he throws away his wicket with a horrible horrible when the situation is 70/5 or something. Malik and Misbah definitely are cack, but Akmal hasn't been any better

[Blistering Barnacle]

YK is a good captain.

Pak lost this series but he's right - Pak have barely played any test cricket for ages.

And if you look at the stats, SL has only lost 2 series at home in the last 8 years - one to Aus and one to Pak.

In other words, other teams generally lose in SL as well, let alone ones like Pak with 4 brand new players and the rest rusty.

[Zaz]

Originally Posted by Blistering Barnacle YK is a good captain. Pak lost this series but he's right - Pak have barely played any test cricket for ages. And if you look at the stats, SL has only lost 2 series at home in the last 8 years - one to Aus and one to Pak. In other words, other teams generally lose in SL as well, let alone ones like Pak with 4 brand new players and the rest rusty.

Sri lanka only win when murali is playing, without him they historically are no force

There stats without murali were something like 3 wins out of 20 test, weve nearly doubled that in this series so far

[ahmed16]

Originally Posted by Usman Chadda Anyone saw or read anything from YK yet? He didn't look too pleased before this collapse happened. I would assume he would be absolutely in raging mood right now. The dressing room won't be a happy place to be at the moment, specially if your names are Malik, Misbah and Akmal

what about Mohammed "I have a phobia for left arm spinners" Yousuf, surely he was the one who started this rot with his incompotence against Herath.

[aashiqmizaaj]

Originally Posted by Usman Chadda Might I ask guys, why the leniency on Kamran Akmal? Yes he was terrific in the T20 World Cup, but since this series has started what has he done? Same old thing, getting caught on the crease, and getting leg before. Or when he is not busy getting LBW, he throws away his wicket with a horrible horrible when the situation is 70/5 or something. Malik and Misbah definitely are cack, but Akmal hasn't been any better

At least Akmal has some utility as a WK. What about Malik and Misbah? Misbah in particular I think should be done away with now - he's on the wrong side of 30s and cannot be considered a future component of the team.

[pakcricketfan]

Originally Posted by ahmed16 what about Mohammed "I have a phobia for left arm spinners" Yousuf, surely he was the one who started this rot with his incompotence against Herath.

[Zaz]

Originally Posted by aashiqmizaaj At least Akmal has some utility as a WK. What about Malik and Misbah? Misbah in particular I think should be done away with now - he's on the wrong side of 30s and cannot be considered a future component of the team.

Misbah is vice captain so cant be dropped and malik ex captain plus he bowls some rubbish spin

[aashiqmizaaj]

Originally Posted by Zaz Misbah is vice captain so cant be dropped and malik ex captain plus he bowls some rubbish spin

LOL. Butt should be back in the team because he is from the same biradari as

[OZGOD]

Originally Posted by Usman Chadda Why can't he just go cuckoo on some of these 'senior' players for once?!

How do you know he doesn't? I'm sure he's ripping them a new bumhole in the sheds. That said he should start with himself!

[Savak]

I am mostly pissed off at Malik and Misbah, our openers have been crap as always and they need to go as well. Abdur Rauf is not the answer, we need a more aggressive 3rd seamer, someone who is 90 mph quick, can get wickets and is intimidating. Razzaq was a much better option than Rauf.

Alam has been a find for me, Aamir still needs more experience test match cricket is a totally different challenge altogether. Akmal undid the T-20 hard work. Umar Gul needs to realize that he needs to deliver the goods with the new ball, he has to learn how to use the new ball properly, you cannot afford to waste it in test cricket.

But Malik and Misbah goodbye time. I dont think there was much wrong with YK captaincy apart from his misplaced trust in Butt, Manzoor, Malik, Misbah and the selection of Rauf over Razzaq.

Time to get over this defeat and look ahead, Whats done is done. Make the necessary changes. The PCB will as usual not fix the crux of the problem i.e. preparing more bowling friendly pitches in domestic cricket and encouraging fast bowlers to use the new ball ball properly. Aamir Sohail was right, if you want good opening batsman, make them face good new ball bowlers.

[Muhammad]

Originally Posted by OZGOD How do you know he doesn't? I'm sure he's ripping them a new bumhole in the sheds. That said he should start with himself!

Exactly, fact is he played well in the 2nd innings and we know how it ended. But he's done jack all previously in the series, his shot in the first innings was rubbish too.

Anyhow he's a good player and I'm not lambasting him for failing, that's part of the game, but he could set a better example with the willow both as a captain and senior batsman.

[Xohaib]

With asif coming back i think our new ball problem will be fixed to some extent,i hope it is.
And i think its a good team and younis khan has been making positive changes hope he makes some more.

[aashiqmizaaj]

Originally Posted by Xohaib With asif coming back i think our new ball problem will be fixed to some extent,i hope it is. And i think its a good team and younis khan has been making positive changes hope he makes some more.

We don't know just how good Asif is going to be. He might be the Asif of old or the Asif of old could have been because of nandrolone sherbet. I hope that Asif of old was not because of that and the the new Asif will be just as good - that indeed will solve part of our bowling problem but again this match was not lost by our bowlers. It was our batsmen that collectively failed (except for two of course).

[saj786]

malik needs to be replaced with afridi, and misbah with umar malik, in the seam department on a wicket that helped seamers rauf looks out of his depth, he should be replaced by wahab or asif or talha

[Amir]

Originally Posted by saj786 malik needs to be replaced with afridi, and misbah with umar malik, in the seam department on a wicket that helped seamers rauf looks out of his depth, he should be replaced by wahab or asif or talha

Now you are just making up players, Umar Malik

Honestly though, this excuse of...we haven't played in a long time is getting old and tiresome. You guys played first class cricket, warm up matches and 2 tests....you are professional cricketers and should be able to adapt quickly considering it is your life profession.

[pakcricketfan]

Originally Posted by saj786 malik needs to be replaced with afridi, and misbah withumar malik, in the seam department on a wicket that helped seamers rauf looks out of his depth, he should be replaced by wahab or asif or talha

Who is he?? Never heard of him.

[hasanb]

Originally Posted by aashiqmizaaj We don't know just how good Asif is going to be. He might be the Asif of old or the Asif of old could have been because of nandrolone sherbet. I hope that Asif of old was not because of that and the the new Asif will be just as good - that indeed will solve part of our bowling problem but again this match was not lost by our bowlers. It was our batsmen that collectively failed (except for two of course).

seriously though i reckon he'll bowl as he used to since cricket is not like 100m sprinting lets say. Drugs dont really give you any added benefit of note. I mean nandrolone or steroids or hash for that matter isnt really going to suddenly enable you to seam the ball both ways or something lol.

[Xohaib]

Afridi needs to comeback,he can play better than Malik or even Abdul Rauf

[OZGOD]

Originally Posted by aashiqmizaaj We don't know just how good Asif is going to be. He might be the Asif of old or the Asif of old could have been because of nandrolone sherbet. I hope that Asif of old was not because of that and the the new Asif will be just as good - that indeed will solve part of our bowling problem but again this match was not lost by our bowlers. It was our batsmen that collectively failed (except for two of course).

[Xohaib]

Originally Posted by hasanb seriously though i reckon he'll bowl as he used to since cricket is not like 100m sprinting lets say. Drugs dont really give you any added benefit of note. I mean nandrolone or steroids or hash for that matter isnt really going to suddenly enable you to seam the ball both ways or something lol.

Exactly,thats why I think that nandrolene was just because he is a paindooooo .,it can only help to build muscles which he didnt have at all.

[aashiqmizaaj]

Originally Posted by hasanb seriously though i reckon he'll bowl as he used to since cricket is not like 100m sprinting lets say. Drugs dont really give you any added benefit of note. I mean nandrolone or steroids or hash for that matter isnt really going to suddenly enable you to seam the ball both ways or something lol.

You never know - the nandrolone sherbet may have given his fingers extra power to help seam the ball. It may have helped him get a tad bit faster which would make him all the more difficult to play but again we'll have to see.

[srh]

I really like the post-match interview Younis Khan gave. No pointing fingers in public towards any other player. This is the right way to act like a captain unlike Shoaib Malik who blasted Shoaib Akhtar in public.
For the next test match I expect Misbah to be dropped for Abdul Razzaq or Faisal Iqbal.

[abc_to_xyz]

Smile, Smile and Smile!

[Wassixpakistani]

Poor Guy........he's trying hide his disappointment the best he could but good to see him defending his team rather than attacking it

[TaZ]

from cricinfo: The irony of the situation, though, is that it was not the youngsters, the debutants, who let the team down. It was the experienced pros who failed all three times to arrest the collapses. Younis saw that as one of the positives from the series. "This team is in a rebuilding phase," he said. "We had three debutants in the last match, and one in this. But if Saeed Ajmal is putting up a fight, if Abdur Rauf is putting up a fight, if Fawad Alam is putting up a fight, if Mohammad Aamer is putting up a fight, that gives me some solace. I will have to give them some time. So too the media and the fans."


- We've been 'rebuilding' since 2003! - It took less time to build the great wall of china!

[pakistanichamp]

even though they didnt play tests for a long time but its no excuse for losing 9 wickets for 34 odd runs

[161]

No need to listen to YK's attempts in vain to explain three straight collapses .. everyone knows we are a bunch of mentally weak flat track bullies.

[srh]

The flawed reverse-sweep will not stop replaying in Younis Khan's head for a while. It will haunt Sidharth Monga at the P Sara Oval July 14, 2009 Eat your heart out KP. Fret not, Misbah, you have company. For years to come, Younis Khan's reverse-sweep will be discussed, debated, derided, and blamed for the final collapse that cost Pakistan the match and the series. By the time you read this, that shot would have played thousands of times on the loop, reminding everyone of what could have been. Consider the circumstance: Pakistan staged a comeback in true original style. After getting bowled out for 90 on the first morning, they bowled incredibly well to keep the deficit down to 150 following which the debutant Fawad Alam, opening for the first time in first-class cricket, scored a big century. Along with Fawad, Younis had added 200 for the second wicket to stretch the lead to 135. The bowling seemed at their mercy, a big target was on the cards, and the momentum was theirs. Then the rush of blood to the head. Perhaps over-confidence against the spinners. It was the first ball of a part-time spinner's spell, and Younis inverted his stance. Out came a full toss outside leg, which he chased and connected with. On many occasions it would have lobbed behind the wicketkeeper but today it ricocheted off his right shoulder and went straight to the wicketkeeper, much like Kevin Pietersen's sweep off Nathan Hauritz in Cardiff last week. Pakistan duly collapsed, losing nine wickets for 35. "Yes [it's replaying in my head]. I am still thinking if I hadn't played that shot, we would have been in a completely different situation," Younis said after Pakistan squandered all the hard work over the last two days. It didn't answer the questions. Was he not thinking when he played the shot? Was he thinking too much? Did he feel he needed to dominate? Did he not know his undercooked team was prone to collapsing? The truth perhaps is that when you are batting in full flow these thoughts don't cross your mind. This was after all the same shot that he had so effectively employed repeatedly against the same team during his triple-hundred in Karachi earlier this year. Only against a much better spinner - Muttiah Muralitharan. Still, Younis cannot hide. This shot will not stop replaying in his head and, for a while, it will haunt him. It will also probably hide the other factors responsible for the defeat. What, for example, of the rest of the batsmen, experienced campaigners most of them? For the third time in a row, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal were part of a collapse. That somehow will be forgotten when we look back at this Test two years from now. "I have been saying for the last four-five years that if one person commits a mistake, the others shouldn't," Younis said. "If we hadn't added 200, then what would have happened? I don't point fingers at anybody - I never blamed Salman Butt [for throwing his wicket away in Galle]. This is a team game." Or what of Daryl Harper's umpiring errors, which could make a case for hurrying in the era of umpire review systems? Or, for that matter, carrying reserve umpires on tours to replace a man in poor form. Harper didn't have a special Test in Galle, and today two of his four lbw calls looked decidedly wrong, and two appeared to have enough doubt. It is also worth noting that the pitch did not have any monsters in it, which would mean that a set batsman didn't need to take risks and could think of playing out the game. The other argument would be that the pressure had already been lifted and put on the opposition. Logic will also suggest that for once the other batsmen should have fought the momentum swing. Allowance will be made for the way Shoaib Malik got out - many stronger blows to the stumps than this flying kiss have failed to dislodge the bails. In the end, though, we will come back to the shot Younis played. We remember Sachin Tendulkar's attempt at an inside-out shot off Saqlain Mushtaq at Chennai in 1999, not the last three wickets falling for four runs. Pietersen's shot is still being talked about in greater length than England's toothless bowling. It's a cruel sport, and Younis will be reminded time and again of a task that he started so well but left unfinished because of a cute shot. One shot. No retake. Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo

^^^ What do you guys think?

[kingusama92]

He had what we call in cricket "The Kevin Pieterson brain fart" out in the middle. To be honest when he got out I wasn't to worried as we still had a good score on the board and I thought our middle order would at least chip in with another 200 runs. Unfortunately they batted like a bunch of buffoons and in the end cost us the game.

Younis Khan shouldn't be so down on himself, he's not the one to blame at all.

[Big Mac]

"I have been saying for the last four-five years that if one person commits a mistake, the others shouldn't," Younis said. "If we hadn't added 200, then what would have happened? I don't point fingers at anybody - I never blamed Salman Butt [for throwing his wicket away in Galle]. This is a team game."

haha "I don't point fingers at anybody" and then immediately names Salman Butt

[Juggernaut]

there shouldn't be an excuse for the shot he played but that still doesn't detract from the fact that we didn't collapse beacuse Younus played that shot

[Savak]

This is not YK fault. If a batsman gets out, he gets out but what about everyone else? There is absolutely no excuse for this display.

[pakcricketfan]

Originally Posted by kingusama92 He had what we call in cricket "The Kevin Pieterson brain fart" out in the middle. To be honest when he got out I wasn't to worried as we still had a good score on the board and I thought our middle order would at least chip in with another 200 runs. Unfortunately they batted like a bunch of buffoons and in the end cost us the game. Younis Khan shouldn't be so down on himself, he's not the one to blame at all.

I agree.

[Kaiser Mahmood]

We cannot blame Younus. At least he made 80 runs odd. It was the likes of Misbah, Malik, Akmal and Yousef who failed to make any inroads with the scoring. They are the ones who should be scrutinised and mentioned as failures not Younus.

Plus I like his Younus's smile and his shiny teeth.

[OZGOD]

Here's a pic of Younis 'doing a Kevinder'

[McBoom]

A horrible horrible shot by YK especially considering that the new ball was due in a couple of overs and lunch break was around the corner. I know his favourite shot is reverse sweep but that was certainly not the time to do a Pietersingh.

However he is the last person we should be pointing fingers at in regards to his batting. His team selection (with malik, misbah,rauf) needs a lot to be desired.

[midwicket]

YK carries the can for failure at the end of the day. Sentimentality for former or vice captains is misplaced. He has a group of younger players who are playing well. And recalcitrant older players who are not. He's got to stamp his authority and boot them out. Lay down a price for lousy performance. Build his own team.

[waqar_ahmad]

Originally Posted by Usman Chadda Why can't he just go cuckoo on some of these 'senior' players for once?!

And what makes you think he does do that in private?

[shane]

Originally Posted by Blistering Barnacle YK is a good captain. Pak lost this series but he's right - Pak have barely played any test cricket for ages. And if you look at the stats, SL has only lost 2 series at home in the last 8 years - one to Aus and one to Pak. In other words, other teams generally lose in SL as well, let alone ones like Pak with 4 brand new players and the rest rusty.

The disappointing thing is not that Pakistan lost, it is the way they lost that will hurt Pak supporters the most. It's not about the result, but the unprofessional performance of the batsmen..

Cant blame Younis for his reaction, he has little choice but to put on a brave face. And Im sure that this has hurt him too, because he seems to genuinely care.

[saqlain]

I don't understand why on the earth are we blaming the Pakistan team for?? If they lost a game or series, what is a big deal??? Is this the first time or the last time we are losing??? We have made this our habbit to accuse and blame players for not playing well when they lose. Pakistan wasn't playing against a high school team, they were up against a professional team and they played better cricket then Pakistan. It is that simple. Now saying that we are mentaly week, played no cricket inages, players are getting old etc. Etc. Is all rubbish. Just accept and move on and give credit to Fawad and the bowlers for their performance.

[Bilsher007]

Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 2nd Test, Colombo, 3rd day

Younis rues his moment of madness

The flawed reverse-sweep will not stop replaying in Younis Khan's head for a while. It will haunt

Sidharth Monga at the P Sara Oval

July 14, 2009

Text size: A | A
Was he not thinking? Was he thinking too much? Did he feel he needed to dominate? Did he not know his undercooked team was prone to collapsing? © Associated Press



Related Links
News : Give this team time before you judge us - Younis
Bulletin : Kulasekara and Herath set up series win

Players/Officials: Younis Khan
Matches: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (PSS)
Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka
Teams: Pakistan | Sri Lanka

Eat your heart out KP. Fret not, Misbah, you have company. For years to come, Younis Khan's reverse-sweep will be discussed, debated, derided, and blamed for the final collapse that cost Pakistan the match and the series. By the time you read this, that shot would have played thousands of times on the loop, reminding everyone of what could have been.

Consider the circumstance: Pakistan staged a comeback in true original style. After getting bowled out for 90 on the first morning, they bowled incredibly well to keep the deficit down to 150 following which the debutant Fawad Alam, opening for the first time in first-class cricket, scored a big century. Along with Fawad, Younis had added 200 for the second wicket to stretch the lead to 135. The bowling seemed at their mercy, a big target was on the cards, and the momentum was theirs.

Then the rush of blood to the head. Perhaps over-confidence against the spinners. It was the first ball of a part-time spinner's spell, and Younis inverted his stance. Out came a full toss outside leg, which he chased and connected with. On many occasions it would have lobbed behind the wicketkeeper but today it ricocheted off his right shoulder and went straight to the wicketkeeper, much like Kevin Pietersen's sweep off Nathan Hauritz in Cardiff last week. Pakistan duly collapsed, losing nine wickets for 35.

"Yes [it's replaying in my head]. I am still thinking if I hadn't played that shot, we would have been in a completely different situation," Younis said after Pakistan squandered all the hard work over the last two days.

It didn't answer the questions. Was he not thinking when he played the shot? Was he thinking too much? Did he feel he needed to dominate? Did he not know his undercooked team was prone to collapsing? The truth perhaps is that when you are batting in full flow these thoughts don't cross your mind. This was after all the same shot that he had so effectively employed repeatedly against the same team during his triple-hundred in Karachi earlier this year. Only against a much better spinner - Muttiah Muralitharan.

Still, Younis cannot hide. This shot will not stop replaying in his head and, for a while, it will haunt him. It will also probably hide the other factors responsible for the defeat. What, for example, of the rest of the batsmen, experienced campaigners most of them? [B]For the third time in a row, Mohammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal were part of a collapse.[/B] That somehow will be forgotten when we look back at this Test two years from now.

[B]"I have been saying for the last four-five years that if one person commits a mistake, the others shouldn't," Younis said. "If we hadn't added 200, then what would have happened? I don't point fingers at anybody - I never blamed Salman Butt [for throwing his wicket away in Galle]. This is a team game." [/B]

Or what of Daryl Harper's umpiring errors, which could make a case for hurrying in the era of umpire review systems? Or, for that matter, carrying reserve umpires on tours to replace a man in poor form. Harper didn't have a special Test in Galle, and today two of his four lbw calls looked decidedly wrong, and two appeared to have enough doubt.

It is also worth noting that the pitch did not have any monsters in it, which would mean that a set batsman didn't need to take risks and could think of playing out the game. The other argument would be that the pressure had already been lifted and put on the opposition. Logic will also suggest that for once the other batsmen should have fought the momentum swing. Allowance will be made for the way Shoaib Malik got out - many stronger blows to the stumps than this flying kiss have failed to dislodge the bails. In the end, though, we will come back to the shot Younis played.

We remember Sachin Tendulkar's attempt at an inside-out shot off Saqlain Mushtaq at Chennai in 1999, not the last three wickets falling for four runs. Pietersen's shot is still being talked about in greater length than England's toothless bowling. It's a cruel sport, and Younis will be reminded time and again of a task that he started so well but left unfinished because of a cute shot. One shot. No retake.
Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo.......................................... ........

okay let's analyse,

I have highlighted the above to remind some ppers what they are overlooking and saying without much thought. The article does'nt do just justice by blaming younis khan whereas culprits are clearly yousaf, misbah, malik and akmal. Fair enough younis should have avoided the reverse sweep and kept his level head on as he had but when he left putting up a 200 runs partnership for second wicket with fawad not many people were too upset.

Yes we were upset in a way that we wanted younis to get a big century but let alone big century he could'nt get to a century. Still it was a great contribution from him to put up a rearguard action considering the dire situation we were in but what about batsmen who had failed consistently in the previous two collapses ???.. Yousaf apart from his brilliant comeback century in the first innings of first test has been dismal in the next three innings in which we have collapsed. Misbah too failed to put up a decent score in the three collapses likewise malik with exception of his unbeaten 39 runs in first innings of 2nd test. And akmal who too has failed in the last three innings. Was it not their turn to put up a much needed fight and prove their critics wrong especially the likes of misbah and malik ???. The fact is the failure of these four have cost us both the test matches and eventually the series when we were in position of strength and poised for wins instead we were gifted with unbelievable shell shocked losses.


Some ppers said younis did'nt blast the guilty players well read again here "I have been saying for the last four-five years that if one person commits a mistake, the others shouldn't," Younis said. "If we hadn't added 200, then what would have happened? I don't point fingers at anybody - I never blamed Salman Butt [for throwing his wicket away in Galle]. This is a team game."

Younis will need to get tough and build his own successful team. There is no such thing as comfort zone if you fail consistently with the bat for a number of series. what have been malik and misbah's performances and averages in home series against south africa ( Test and one dayers), against Australia at dubai and abu dhabi ( 5 match series) and against sri lanka in home series ( 3 match one day and 2 match test series) and now here again in the 3 test match series so far against sri lanka ??? ..anyone with stats please for misbah and malik... or should i post them ? . We should have won and looked winning the one day series at home against south africa and australia but the above mentioned batsmen had other ideas.

Offcourse the idiot daryl harper's stupid decisions did their share of damage to our cause that's why the referrals system should be reintroduced. I am sorry there is no logical reason for three collapses, lack of enough test cricket is not good enough or intelligent enough a reason. Verdict is out ..drop misbah and malik.

[Bilsher007]

Originally Posted by saqlain I don't understand why on the earth are we blaming the Pakistan team for?? If they lost a game or series, what is a big deal??? Is this the first time or the last time we are losing??? We have made this our habbit to accuse and blame players for not playing well when they lose. Pakistan wasn't playing against a high school team, they were up against a professional team and they played better cricket then Pakistan. It is that simple. Now saying that we are mentaly week, played no cricket inages, players are getting old etc. Etc. Is all rubbish. Just accept and move on and give credit to Fawad and the bowlers for their performance.

Saqlain ...immense credit to fawad, ajmal, aamer, rauf, younis, manzoor and gul but what about misbah, malik, yousaf and akmal ???. It's that simple saqy, i have seen us perform worse in a test match than this. anyone remember pakistan get bowled out for 52 and 53 in a test against Australia at sharjah back in 2002 ??? Yes that was the lowest we have ever gone in a test match but three consecutive collapses in three innings to lose two test matches when we looked like winning them is something i have never seen since i have started watching pakistan cricket in 1990. I have to say without exaggeration this is unprecedented.

I feel very bad for hardworker like younis, he has great captaincy potential and has won us some great games. His best test win was against india at home in 2006 at karachi, remember the famous test to win by 341 runs from a situation like 39/6 . I feel bad for the boys who gave it their heart, soul, sweat to toil hard out there. Our bowlers despite three newcomers (aamer, Rauf and Ajmal) managed to bowl lankans out each time under 300 in the last four innings but batsmen were obviously on a mission to set a national record or dare i say international record.

Saqy ..ppers and other pakistanis all over the world and in pakistan are tearing their hairs out and steaming cause it's not everyday you lose twice in a row when in position of winning. When i switched the tele in the morining before going to work at 6.00 am and sat around for few minutes to check the score , i was ecstatic that we had put up a great fight and set up a strong momentum and foundation to build a lead which would be winnable. To lose from 285/1 to 320 All Out is not acceptable in anyway. This is unprofessional cricket by the likes of yousaf, misbah, malik and akmal. Thrice they have now failed in the last three innings, they should have avoided by every right the hattrick of failures today.

Younis khan needs to take tough moves, dropping misbah and malik to give them the message will be right one. Yousaf and akmal next better watch out, there is not going to be era of comfort zone when you score a fifty or 100 and then fail in the next 3 or 5 innings e.t.c. Unless standards are raised and target is set to match the very best in the business ( Australia, South Africa, Sri lanka, india ) there is no guaranteed spots for anyone.

It's not a matter of talent nor technique nor temperament but that of mindset. Australia has been number one cause of it's approach, planning, attitude and application. You want to be the best you need to correct the mindset and start to get consistent with success.

understand now saqlain ?

[Usman Chadda]

Originally Posted by waqar_ahmad And what makes you think he does do that in private?

I think you meant '...he doesn't do that in private...' ?

Well I was trying to imply, why can't he just lambast them in the media. These two have been woeful of late. Even against Australia, Malik and Misbah played one innings worthy of notice out of five innings. Didn't do much in the T20, although Malik did manage to stick around somehow in the Semi and the Final. Here both have been shown to be extremely incompetent. I am not saying go full gung-ho on them in the media, just mention a few things so that these two understand that its not a joke playing for the national team when the country is expecting big things from you

[Bilsher007]

Give this team time before you judge us - Younis

Sidharth Monga at the P Sara Oval

July 14, 2009

Text size: A | A
Younis Khan: "I am not looking for excuses but for reasons" © AFP


Related Links
Bulletin : Kulasekara and Herath set up series win
Analysis : Younis rues his moment of madness

Players/Officials: Younis Khan
Matches: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Colombo (PSS)
Series/Tournaments: Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka
Teams: Pakistan | Sri Lanka

Younis Khan has responded to Pakistan's first Test series defeat in Sri Lanka by pleading for more time to rebuild the team after "very little cricket over the last 18 months". Speaking after a game in which Pakistan's batting collapses tilted the balance towards Sri Lanka, Younis said he didn't want to put blame on any individual - the team was lacking by just 20%, failing to stay focused throughout the games and while facing pressure situations.

"It's very easy right now to write this team off," he said, "But how many Tests have we played in the last 14 months? For one full year we didn't play at all. As and when we start playing more regularly, we will learn to adapt. I think it's not about the technique, not about the bowling, not about the weather.

"Give this team some time, don't point fingers too early. It will be very easy for me too to blame particular players, even myself. But the reality is, we haven't been playing any Test cricket. It's very easy for me to give up, to say I can't captain this team. But somebody will have to stand up and fix the situation."

Before the start of the series, Younis had said that being undercooked should not be an excuse for international teams. But three heart-breaking collapses later, Younis said it was time to analyse the situation, and that he concluded thus not as Pakistan captain but as an analyst. "Out of the four matches we have played, one was stopped midway, one we drew, and lost two," he said. "And that too it felt like we were not beaten, we lost them ourselves. So I am not looking for excuses but for reasons. And this is one of the major reasons."

The irony of the situation, though, is that it was not the youngsters, the debutants, who let the team down. It was the experienced pros who failed all three times to arrest the collapses. Younis saw that as one of the positives from the series. "This team is in a rebuilding phase," he said. "We had three debutants in the last match, and one in this. But if Saeed Ajmal is putting up a fight, if Abdur Rauf is putting up a fight, if Fawad Alam is putting up a fight, if Mohammad Aamer is putting up a fight, that gives me some solace. I will have to give them some time. So too the media and the fans."[/B]Younis reiterated that the problem came from not finishing matches. ]"There is only 20% that we are lacking. If we play to our potential - everybody knows about us - we will start winning. It is all about concentration and how to adapt to conditions."

Over six and a bit days, Pakistan have had three disastrous sessions, while the other sessions have been full of heartening performances from their youngsters. Their bowling attack looks in good health, especially with an impending comeback of Mohammad Asif, and Ajmal and Danish Kaneria fighting for the spinner's slot. Yet they have lost the series, which can be a very demoralising experience.

Younis, though, wants to look ahead immediately, to the next Test. "What can I do? I can only ask them to focus for longer durations. After Tests we have to play one-dayers too. It will be every difficult if we go 2-0 down or 3-0 down. If we push more, keep pushing, we can win the last Test, which should give us a lot of motivation before the one-dayers. And if we can win both, we will get some satisfaction at least." Sidharth Monga is a staff writer at Cricinfo

Feeds: Sidharth Monga

[shane]

I liked the way that he did not mention any senior players putting up a fight. It was essentially a subtle way of telling them they should be ashamed of themselves, seeing that the juniors are the ones carrying the team.

[On_the_up]

Pakistan should be 2-0 up, but I dont accept this we havent played much test cricket. These guys are professional cricketers, the mistakes were schoolboy errors. But looking at the positives, at least we were in a match winning position in both tests as supposed to being outplayed.

[Amoeba]

Originally Posted by Big Mac haha "I don't point fingers at anybody" and then immediately names Salman Butt

Yes I found that hilarious as well. Good that he didn't go down the "well that's the way I play" route as adopted by KP.

However he still points the finger other players with his "what am I supposed to do line."

Remember Michael Clarke apologised to his team mates when he got out in the 80s for not going on, even though his team had 4 other centurians.

If you want to become winners you have to start to think like winners and that has to come from the top. If the captain can throw away a winning situation then why shouldn't the rest. He has to lead by example.

[Rehan]

>>>>>>>>If you want to become winners you have to start to think like winners and that has to come from the top. If the captain can throw away a winning situation then why shouldn't the rest. He has to lead by example.

ameoba

The captain actually ALSO created that winning situation through a record partnership stand...........

and your amusing point that "why shouldn't the rest do the same?" Pak cricket fans would all have been happy if two or three more had scored 80 odd and then gotten out to a reverse sweep......

[Amjid Javed]

Pakistans so called strength (middle order) needs to be reviewed and looked at and they need to buck up their ideas.

[Amoeba]

Originally Posted by Rehan >>>>>>>>If you want to become winners you have to start to think like winners and that has to come from the top. If the captain can throw away a winning situation then why shouldn't the rest. He has to lead by example. ameoba The captain actually ALSO created that winning situation through a record partnership stand........... and your amusing point that "why shouldn't the rest do the same?" Pak cricket fans would all have been happy if two or three more had scored 80 odd and then gotten out to a reverse sweep......

There again you fall into the trap of lazy thinking. It's ok for the Captain to score 80 runs and get out to a horrendous shot? As they say the manner in which a batsman gets out tells you a lot about him. Younis didn't put a price on his wicket and neither did the rest but at least they were out to good ish balls which can happen to any player.

With a skipper like this failing to take responsibilty we will continue to throw away winning positions because it is always somebody else's fault. A captain has to take control. Younis showed with that shot that at present he can't.

[AZ]

gotta disagree with that mate...Yes it was a horrendous piece of cricket by YK, but you cannot lay all the blame at him...when your top 4 batsmen fail so miserably 3 innings in a row, there is something really messed up

[Amoeba]

Originally Posted by Ahmed Zulfiqar gotta disagree with that mate...Yes it was a horrendous piece of cricket by YK, but you cannot lay all the blame at him...when your top 4 batsmen fail so miserably 3 innings in a row, there is something really messed up

No problem mate - I agree that the middle order have problems. I suppose my contention is that the issue is mainly mental rather than technical. In such a situation the leader has to set an example and take the situation by the scruff of the neck. The best leaders like Imran, Javed and even Inzy would take personal responsibility to resolve the problem.

[AZ]

it is definitely a mental block for these guys...they have nothing to prove in terms of their technical abilities, they have been there and done that for Pakistan before...it is just stunning to see how absolutely helpless they look when faced against a couple of decent bowlers

[Rehan]

Originally Posted by Amoeba There again you fall into the trap of lazy thinking. It's ok for the Captain to score 80 runs and get out to a horrendous shot? As they say the manner in which a batsman gets out tells you a lot about him. Younis didn't put a price on his wicket and neither did the rest but at least they were out to good ish balls which can happen to any player. With a skipper like this failing to take responsibilty we will continue to throw away winning positions because it is always somebody else's fault. A captain has to take control. Younis showed with that shot that at present he can't.

You again going in circles. I told you Younus plays like that always whether on 8 or 80. He played a big hand in bringing the team to that position and if a couple of players would have played even half of the way he did we would have won probably.

Talking of control, you are saying someone is not capable of leading, when in fact he has just skippered the team to WC glory! Your points are so hollow and flimsy, they are funny.

[Ryankhan]

Younis is right of one thing though, that they have not played test matches regularly for a long time which really is a worry and its hard to adjust yourself from 20-20 to test matches but as a pro you cant make a excuse about that but younis was right, he is not looking for excuses but he is looking for the reasons. WHY? 3 collaspe all of a sudden and in 2 matches????? that really raises questions? salaam to YOUNIS, for still being the captain and wants to take out the garbage and clean the dirty politics himself....thats a brave move and i wish and pray he gets success in it....

[IMMY69]

Originally Posted by Amoeba There again you fall into the trap of lazy thinking. It's ok for the Captain to score 80 runs and get out to a horrendous shot? As they say the manner in which a batsman gets out tells you a lot about him. Younis didn't put a price on his wicket and neither did the rest but at least they were out to good ish balls which can happen to any player. With a skipper like this failing to take responsibilty we will continue to throw away winning positions because it is always somebody else's fault. A captain has to take control. Younis showed with that shot that at present he can't.

Amoeba you have to cut yk some slack here..just a few test matches ago he scored a tripple century and didnt give his wicket away..also if you apply some logic you'll see that yk is ranked number 2 in the world, averages over 50 in tests and when he gets to 50 he more often then not goes onto score a century...so going by logic one can comfortably assume that in future yk will go onto score big runs for pakistan, barring a dip in form...

yes he played a horrendous shot to get out...but the guy has been test match captain for about 4 test matches now and even one of those was curtailed after 2 days....

in test matches atleast, i dont think you can compare him to kp's dismissal at cardiff...yk has shown great responsibility over the past 4 years and taken his average from mid 40's to the low 50's...this shows great consistency...

[afridi.rocks]

Was he not thinking? Was he thinking too much? Did he feel he needed to dominate? Did he not know his undercooked team was prone to collapsing?

[saadjhussain]

the reverse sweep was really shocking

[Savak]

Why criticize Yk? Why not the other 8 batters who only scored 30-40 runs amongst them?

[On_the_up]

Originally Posted by Savak Why criticize Yk? Why not the other 8 batters who only scored 30-40 runs amongst them?

YK could be criticized for giving it away when he had the match by the scruff of the neck (never give a sucker an even break and all that) but the other batsmen are far more to blame for failing miserably and not even showing any fight.

[Juggernaut]

Originally Posted by Amoeba There again you fall into the trap of lazy thinking. It's ok for the Captain to score 80 runs and get out to a horrendous shot? As they say the manner in which a batsman gets out tells you a lot about him. Younis didn't put a price on his wicket and neither did the rest but at least they were out to good ish balls which can happen to any player. With a skipper like this failing to take responsibilty we will continue to throw away winning positions because it is always somebody else's fault. A captain has to take control. Younis showed with that shot that at present he can't.

I agree with that point to an extent. I think just before he played that shot YK thought well we're in such a good position lets have some fun and get WWF on these Lankans ... and he paid the price ... we keep talking about the aussies because they are the best ... Ponting in that same position would have made it his lifes mission to destroy any hopes of Sri Lanka getting back into the game ... but thats not to say that its Yk's fault that we lost the game ... i know its ironic but the aussie mentality is well i'm gonna get as many runs as possible here cos everyone else is going to collapse around me (even though they never do) so that even if the top 5 make hundreds no.6 comes in and thinks i need to get a big score here ... one shot, one ball changes a game and thats something the aussies have figured out ... they leave nothing to chance

[Savak]

Originally Posted by On_the_up YK could be criticized for giving it away when he had the match by the scruff of the neck (never give a sucker an even break and all that) but the other batsmen are far more to blame for failing miserably and not even showing any fight.

YK connects and plays those types of strokes really well 99% of the times. Its not his fault that the likes of Yousaf, Misbah, Malik and Akmal cant do what was expected of them.

[pakcricketfan]

I agree 100% that YK should be criticised for playing that stupid shot and getting out..rather throwing his wicket away. But does that mean the other 4 batsmen would not put up a fight of any kind and get out?? Did YK's stupid shot release them of all their responsibilities??

[Amoeba]

Originally Posted by Savak YK connects and plays those types of strokes really well 99% of the times. Its not his fault that the likes of Yousaf, Misbah, Malik and Akmal cant do what was expected of them.

No one is saying he should cut out the reverse sweep. It is choosing the right ball and right time. Batting is all about percentages and risk assessment. That reverse sweep to that ball at that time was not a percentage shot. It was premeditated - once the ball was not there he should have pulled out of the shot.

The rest as they say is history.

[Muhammad]

Originally Posted by pakcricketfan I agree 100% that YK should be criticised for playing that stupid shot and getting out..rather throwing his wicket away. But does that mean the other 4 batsmen would not put up a fight of any kind and get out?? Did YK's stupid shot release them of all their responsibilities??

Very good points, yes it was a poor dismissal but when he got out Pakistan were still in a pretty good position, the others non-performance ultimately led to our downfall. Even if they'd produced a below average effort ie. lose last 8 wickets for 120 we would've had over 250 to defend.

[Wassixpakistani]

Don't know why his shot is being considered a horrible one , He's the master of "SWEEPING" and has the nickname "The Sweeper" , the shot was played purely on natural instinct besides the ball he got from paranavitana deserved to be done something with it rather then being left alone. It was a 50-50 thing , either the ball would have gone above for a 4 or gone into some fielders hands , In the end it all comes down to YOUR LUCK.
The team were set in a good position and his wicket wouldn't have mattered since their were 9 BATSMEN TO COME!!! .

[Juggernaut]

Originally Posted by Wassixpakistani Don't know why his shot is being considered a horrible one , He's the master of "SWEEPING" and has the nickname "The Sweeper" , the shot was played purely on natural instinct besides the ball he got from paranavitana deserved to be done something with it rather then being left alone. It was a 50-50 thing , either the ball would have gone above for a 4 or gone into some fielders hands , In the end it all comes down to YOUR LUCK. The team were set in a good position and his wicket wouldn't have mattered since their were 9 BATSMEN TO COME!!! .

and that is the mentality that lost us the test match ... so is YK happy to get 80 odd runs rather than a 100 ... so the rest of the team thought their are other batsman behind me so who cares what i make one of them is bound to get some runs ... its a matter of taking responsibility no matter what position you're in ... its not over till the fat lady sings as they say ... I think that comment sums up the Pakistani mentality and shows how very far way it is from the aussie one

[IMMY69]

Originally Posted by Amoeba No one is saying he should cut out the reverse sweep. It is choosing the right ball and right time. Batting is all about percentages and risk assessment. That reverse sweep to that ball at that time was not a percentage shot. It was premeditated - once the ball was not there he should have pulled out of the shot. The rest as they say is history.

i see you are still not applying logic, but instead shooting from your hip...

yk is a proven test class batsman...you chose to crticise a guy who is averaging above 50 yet ignore those middle order batsman who average in the mid 30's and keep giving their wickets away...

something not right in your thinking...

[Wassixpakistani]

Originally Posted by Juggernaut and that is the mentality that lost us the test match ... so is YK happy to get 80 odd runs rather than a 100 ... so the rest of the team thought their are other batsman behind me so who cares what i make one of them is bound to get some runs ... its a matter of taking responsibility no matter what position you're in ... its not over till the fat lady sings as they say ... I think that comment sums up the Pakistani mentality and shows how very far way it is from the aussie one

Yeah bro , We need to stop relying on 1 man alone.Younis had acutally did what he was supposed to do , he certainly would not have given his wicket away but sadly his luck ran out................After his dismissal the other guys should have batted more responsibly but I guess they were counting on YK and Alam to do the job for them

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by Wassixpakistani Don't know why his shot is being considered a horrible one , He's the master of "SWEEPING" and has the nickname "The Sweeper" , the shot was played purely on natural instinct besides the ball he got from paranavitana deserved to be done something with it rather then being left alone. It was a 50-50 thing , either the ball would have gone above for a 4 or gone into some fielders hands , In the end it all comes down to YOUR LUCK. The team were set in a good position and his wicket wouldn't have mattered since their were 9 BATSMEN TO COME!!! .

haha natural instinct? It was obviously premeditated, nothing instinctive about it. He had made 80 runs and put on this big partnership with Fawad without playing a single revere sweep.

There's 3 overs until lunch, 2 overs until Sri Lanka have the new ball and he knows full well that our batsmen aren't great against a new ball and has already seen Kulasekera destroy our batting lineup with the new ball in the first innings. We have 2 batsmen that are completely set and in the best position to see off the new ball and set a really big 4th innings target for Sri Lanka but instead he plays the first reverse sweep he's attempted all innings to the first ball of a part-time bowlers spell.

There was no need to increase the scoring rate because it was before lunch on day 3, there was no need to take any risks because all the pressure was on Sri Lanka at that point and he threw it away.

[Wassixpakistani]

Originally Posted by Big Mac haha natural instinct? It was obviously premeditated, nothing instinctive about it. He had made 80 runs and put on this big partnership with Fawad without playing a single revere sweep. There's 3 overs until lunch, 2 overs until Sri Lanka have the new ball and he knows full well that our batsmen aren't great against a new ball and has already seen Kulasekera destroy our batting lineup with the new ball in the first innings. We have 2 batsmen that are completely set and in the best position to see off the new ball and set a really big 4th innings target for Sri Lanka but instead he plays the first reverse sweep he's attempted all innings to the first ball of a part-time bowlers innings. There was no need to increase the scoring rate because it was before lunch on day 3, there was no need to take any risks because all the pressure was on Sri Lanka at that point and he threw it away.

i'll go with your opinion .